Halle Berry Opens Up About Her Family's Domestic Abuse Struggles

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Halle Berry is opening up about the domestic abuse her mother suffered at the hands of her father in the hopes of helping out battered women's shelters.

Updated at 11:00 PM EDT on Monday, Dec 14, 2009

Halle Berry is opening up about the domestic abuse her mother suffered at the hands of her father in the hopes of helping out battered women's shelters.

According to Britain's The Times newspaper, Halle has been volunteering at the Jenesse Center, a battered women's shelter in Los Angeles for years, but is just now starting to reveal this side of her life. The paper reported that the actress hopes the publicity will help the shelters in tough economic times.

And she told the paper it is because of her traumatic past that she can relate to what the women at the shelter have dealt with.

"I saw my mother battered, and could not do anything to stop it," she told The Times. "My father was tyrannical, lashing out at her for no reason. I felt the effects that had on our family — I've experienced what these women have gone through."

Halle, who lost hearing in one of her ears after an alleged beating from a romantic partner of her own, said she's managed to break the cycle of abuse.

"I did choose the wrong partners," she told the newspaper. "Not always good men. Luckily, in recent years, I have been smart enough to hit the door when violence even becomes a possibility. That is something I will not tolerate."

Halle also revealed that her mother, Judith, still struggles with why she took the abuse from her husband for so long.

"That is a deep question, and I am not sure she will ever come up with one answer. I have one answer to anyone in a similar situation — get out," Halle said.

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Halle recently told Access' own Maria Menounous that she was proud of Rihanna, who was forced to deal with her own bout of abuse at the hands of Chris Brown in February.

"Recently, Rihanna stepped forward and obviously she had an issue with domestic violence. She was able to get away which isn't often the easiest thing," Maria said to Halle.

"Any time a woman frees herself from that kind of bondage and that kind of situation, I'm proud," Halle said.